


accepting life

by HolyGuacomole



Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Injury, Minor Violence, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 04:31:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5694853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HolyGuacomole/pseuds/HolyGuacomole
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>... and dealing with it. The world doesn't need her to be a soldier anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	accepting life

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another angsty post-war fic; I find it hard to write anything else, apparently. Originally posted on my [blog](http://mssmartian.tumblr.com/), so drop on by and give me a prompt :)
> 
> I also have a [side-blog](http://rachelbarenson.tumblr.com/)exclusively for animorphs, so check it out if you're interested!

“You could’ve told me, y'know?” Tobias bent over the rim of the tub to reach the tweezers on the shag rug.

Rachel let out a forced laugh and shifted the towels they were sitting on, hunching further into herself, “And admit to another psychotic break?”

“Another?” Tobias didn’t sound judgmental, just patient. When prompted, she gave him her bloodied hand, the other lying limp by her side. The bleeding fingers didn't look too bad, but she promised to go to the doctor’s for her swollen middle finger after Tobias finished helping her clean her knuckles. “You’ve done this before?”

“He was a douche-bag anyway.”

“He?” Tobias laid the tweezers down after all the gravel was picked from between her torn skin and laid a warm washcloth over the hand before unwinding an ace bandage.

Rachel absently pressed down on the damp cloth, pain zinging up through her bones. “Just some asshole harassing me about morphing.”

Tobias stayed silent, probably to give her time to collect her thoughts.

“I’m so angry. All the time now.” Rachel removed the washcloth and reached for the gauze to give her self something to do while venting. “Seeing Jake. Not seeing Cassie. All of my old friends not talking to me. 

Assholes and reporters seeking me out. I thought that-I thought that after the war I wouldn’t be so-so- **I don’t know the word!** ”

Rachel was tearing the gauze aggressively, the ends fraying too much. “I thought everything could just go back to normal! Marco asked me if I was using my bear brain- what a jackass! Couldn’t even come up with a decent insult.” Her voice cracked.

Tobias dropped the bandages and wrapped his thin, 13 year old arms around her broader frame. He kissed her forehead gently before she rested her head into his lap.

“We’ll get better,” he whispered. “You’ll get better.”


End file.
